Qantas dishes up Aussie icons for new heart-stirring campaign

From Kylie Minogue and Ash Barty to Uluru and the Hills hoist, almost every Australian icon imaginable makes an appearance | WATCH

Qantas has packed its latest advertising campaign with a who’s who of Australiana, from Kylie Minogue and Hugh Jackman to the Hills hoist and Uluru.

Sports stars Ash Barty, Adam Goodes, Ellie Cole and Bronte Campbell and Aboriginal elder Rene Kulitja also make an appearance, in spectacular settings such as Hutt Lagoon in Western Australia and Cape Raoul in Tasmania.

The ad is set to Peter Allen’s “I still call Australia home”, more than 35-years after Qantas first used the song to pull at the heartstrings of travellers.

As the federal government announced an end to the requirement for a pre-departure Covid test for people heading down under, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said it was the “ideal time” to unveil a new version of the song.

Qantas has unveiled its latest advertisement featuring a host of Aussie icons including Uluru and Aboriginal elder Rene Kulitja. Picture: Kiku Ohe

“The last major Qantas advert came as the country was rolling up its sleeves to be vaccinated so we could all reconnect, and it really struck a chord,” Mr Joyce said.

“Now that borders are finally open, and staying open, this is the perfect time to relaunch this Peter Allen classic as the national carrier’s anthem.”

He said dumping the pre-flight Covid test for inbound travellers was “very important” from a tourism perspective and would allow Australia to compete with the rest of the world.

“We think this is the way the rest of the world has been moving. The UK moved some weeks ago, a lot of European countries have also moved and we believe the US is going to move in April as well,” said Mr Joyce.

“And it actually was a blocker on Australians travelling overseas. I was just in the UK in the last few days and it was a bit anxious getting the test before we discovered whether you could get back in the country.”

The timing of the campaign was significant, as Qantas and Jetstar increased domestic capacity to 110 per cent of pre-Covid levels, in anticipation of a bumper Easter holiday period.

International travel was also starting to takeoff again, with Qantas reporting that bookings for Los Angeles, London and Hawaii were above 2019 levels.

The new ad will be screened on television in Australia from Sunday, and on all Qantas international flights arriving into the country.

“I still call Australia home” has been a feature of Qantas campaigns since 1987, with the Qantas choir first used in advertising in 1998.

Most recently the song was used in 2009 but Friday’s release was the first time the airline had recreated the entire original campaign concept.

Qantas has unveiled its latest advertisement featuring a host of Aussie icons including Adam Goodes in the Bondi Icebergs’ ocean baths. Picture: Toby Burrows

Former Australian of the Year and former AFL footballer Adam Goodes endured freezing cold water in the Bondi Beach ocean baths midwinter for the ad, and said he was proud to be part of the campaign.

“I’m honoured to be involved in something that celebrates our unique country and culture and will hopefully help the recovery of tourism operators by inspiring travellers to get out and explore all Australia has to offer,” said Mr Goodes.

The campaign coincides with a major fare sale featuring over a million discounted airfares across 70 domestic and international routes.

Passengers booking flights before April 1, will also be able to choose double frequent flyer points or double status credits, in a “thank you” from the airline for their support over the last two years.

Virgin Australia is expected to launch its own major campaign in coming weeks with new incentives for members of its Velocity frequent flyer scheme.